Mailing bag

ABSTRACT

A bag for containing a number of smaller items throughout the course of a mailing or other transit is made from two overlying panels of flexible sheet material which are joined to one another to form a main pocket having a mouth closed by a slide fastener. A transparent patch is attached to one of the panels of the bag to provide a smaller pocket for a postage and address card. The card pocket is so designed that closing of the bag by means of the slide fastener entraps the card in the card pocket, and also so that a part of the card in the pocket is exposed for the purpose of allowing stamps, cancellation marks or the like to be applied directly to the card.

Whitman MAILING BAG [75] Inventor: Harlan M. Whitman, Edina, Minn. [73] Assignee: United States Envelope Company,

Springfield, Mass.

[22] Filed: June 12, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 261,624

52 us. (:1 150/15, 150/13, 190/412, 40/359 [51] Int. Cl. A45c 13/42 [58] Field of Search 150/13, l4, 15, 19,30,

l50/1.6;-l90/4l2; 40/306, 312, 359, 2 B Y [56] 7 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 885,316 4/1908 Bernheim 40/2 B 2,311,847 2/1943 Long 190/41 Z 2,679,877 6/1954 Leggett.... 150/14 2,755,837 7/1956 Kosek 3,078,897 2/1963 Rifkin 150/13 1111 3,818,963 June 25, 1974 3.658.239 4/1972 Foutz 40/359 Primary Examiner-J-lerbertF. Ross Attorney, Agent, or Firm-McCormick, Paulding &

Huber [5 7] ABSTRACT A bag for containing a number of smaller items throughout the course of a mailing or other transit is made from two overlying panels of flexible sheet material which are joined to one another to form a main pocket having a mouth closed by a slide fastener. A transparent patch is attached to one of the panels of the bag to provide a smaller pocket for a postage and address card. The card pocket is so designed that closing of the bag by means of the slide fastener entraps the card in the card pocket, and also so that a part of the card in the pocket is exposed for the purpose of allowing stamps, cancellation marks or the like to be applied directly to the card.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENIEDJUNZSIQH FIG. 3

MAILING BAG This invention relates to containers in the form of bags for carrying a number of letters or other small items through a mailing or other transit from one place to another, and deals moreparticularly with such a bag including an improved construction of a card pocket for receiving a card used for address and/or postage purposes.

Mailing bags have been known and used for some time, and generally are intended to be reused many times, as during the course of many mailings or other transits. During each individual transit, however, the bag must be addressed to a particular recipient and, if the transit involves movement through the mail, some provision. must be made for attaching postage stamps to the bag which remain with the bag only for the one mailing.

The purpose of this invention, therefore, is to provide a bag construction which includes a card pocket for receiving a removable card used for addressing the bag during a particular transit and also for receiving postage stamps and other postage markings in the event the bag moves through the mail. The construction of this card pocket is such that the card is readily removable and replaceable and once the bag is closed for a particular mailing or transit the card is trapped in place in the card pocket and prevented from being displaced from the card pocket until the bag is opened at the end of the transit, the mere opening of the bag at the end of the transit enabling the card to be removed and replaced by a new one for the next mailing. Also, the pocket construction is such that the postage area of the card may be accessed directly from the outside of the bag to permit the direct application to the card of postage stamps and other postage markings, the address portion of the card nevertheless being covered and protected from defacement by an overlying piece of transparent material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention resides in a bag-like container for carrying mail orsimilar items and comprising two overlying panels of flexible sheet material joined to form a main pocket and having top edges forming a mouth closed by a slide fastener. One of the panels has a patch attached to it'forming between the patch and the panel a card-receiving pocket. The mouth for the card pocket opens interiorally of the bag and is located parallel and close to the top edge of the bag so that when the slide fastener is closed the card received in the card pocket is entrapped in the card pocket and prevented from moving out of the pocket. The patch is preferably a piece of transparent material attached to the outside of the one panel of the bag and the-card pocket mouth is defined by a slit through the one bag panel located in the area thereof. covered by the patch.

The invention also resides in the patch being divided into two portions with the patch being continuous throughout one portion and in the other portion including a window opening permitting direct access to a part of the card received in the card pocket for enabling postage stamps or the like to be applied directly to the card without the necessity of the card being removed from the card pocket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of 'a mailing bag embodying this invention, the bag being shown in a closed and sealed condition.

FIG. 2 is a view of the top portion of the bag of FIG. 1, the bag being shown in an open condition.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1 with the card pocket being shown with the card removed therefrom.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1 and drawn on a scale enlarged from that of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning to the drawing, a mailing bag embodying this invention is there shown at and consists basically of two rectangular panels 12 and 14 of flexible sheet material. These two panels are preferably opaque and preferably are made of a rugged woven fabric such as one made of nylon. The two panels 12 and 14 are joined to one another along their peripheries, except for along their top edges, to form a main pocket 16 therebetween. Actually, in the illustrated example, the two panels 12 and 14 are part of a single sheet material and are joined to one another by a fold line along one end edge 18 and by sewing or stitching along the other end edge 20 and the bottom edge 22.

The two top edges l7, 17 of the two panels 12 and 14 form a mouth for the main pocket 16 of the bag and connected to and extending along the top edges 17, 17 is a slide fastener for selectively opening and closing the main mouth. This slide fastener may be of any conventional type, but preferably and as illustrated is of the type which consists of a single continuous tooth strip 24 sewn to the panels 12 and 14 adjacent the top edges 17, 17, as shown, a slider 26 having a handle 28 cooperating with the tooth strip to open and close the mouth of the bag as it is drawn back and forth from one end of the bag to the other. Adjacent the upper left-hand corner of the bag, as viewed in FIG. 1, or the upper righthand corner of the bag, as viewed in FIG. 2, the bag includes twoopenings 30, 30, each ina respective one of the panels 12 and 14, reinforced by metal grommets, through which an elongated seal tie 32 may be passed to seal the slider 26 of the slide fastener in its closed position, as shown in FIG. 1. That is, the seal tie 32 passes through the two openings 30, and either through the handle 28 of the slide 26 or behind the slide 26 in such a manner as to prevent the slide from being moved to its open position without breaking the seal tie.

To facilitate addressing of the bag and the application of postage stamps or other postage markings thereto during each individual mailing or other transit, the bag 10 further includes a card pocket for receiving an address and postage card 34. The card pocket is indicated at 36 and is defined by a rectangular patch 38 of transparent material, such as plastic, attached to the outside of the panel 12. The patch 38 is attached to the panel 12 along its entire periphery by sewing and preferably fabric tape 40 is folded overthe edges of the patch and also sewn to the panel 12 as shown. The patch includes an address area 42 and a postage area 44. divided from one another by a vertical line extending across the patch which line is preferably made visible by an additional fabric tape 46 sewn to the patch.

imately equal size and in the postage portion 44 the patch includes a window-opening 48 through which the portion of the card 34 registered with the window opening may be directly accessed from the outside of the bag for applying postage stamps or the like thereto. It will be noted that the patch 38 in the address area 42 'is continuous and, therefore, covers and protects the underlying portion of the card 34 thereby preventing defacement of any address written on such card portron.

The card pocket 36 opens interiorally of the bag. That is, it communicates with the main pocket of the bag, and it is further so located and arranged that the card 34 can be removed from the card pocket and replaced only when the bag 10 is in its open condition, as shown inFlG. 2. When the bag is closed, the card is entrapped in the card pocket and its displacement therefrom is prevented. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the mouth of the-card pocket 36 is defined by a slit 50 in the panel 12 with the slit in the illustrated case being reinforced by a fabric tape 52 sewn to the interior surface of the panel 12 and having a slit of its own aligned with the slit 50. The slit 50 in turn is arranged generally parallel to the top edge 17 of the panel 12 and is located only a slight distance therebelow, such distance being substantially less than the vertical dimension of the card 34. Accordingly, it will be evident from FIGv 4 that when the card 34 is in the pocket 36 and the bag closed, by the slide fastener, as shown in FIG. 4, the card will not be able to move a sufficient distance upwardly to be removed from the pocket 36 and, accordingly, it will remain in the pocket until the bag is opened.

I claim:

1. A bag for carrying mail or the like comprising two overlying panels of similar size and shape each having a periphery including a top edge, means joining said two panels to one another along their peripheries except for along said top edges to form a main pocket between said two panels having a mouth adjacent said top edges of said panels, a slide fastener connected to said panels along said top edges thereof for opening and closing said main pocket mouth, and a patch attached to one of said panels and defining between it and said one panel a card pocket for receiving a card, said card pocket having a mouth communicating with said main pocket which card pocket mouth extends generally parallel to said top edge of said one panel and which card pocket mouth is spaced downwardly from said top edge of said one panel, said card pocket extending downwardly from said card pocket mouth whereby when a given size card is placed in said card pocket closing of said main mouth by said slide fastener entraps said card in said card pocket and prevents it from moving out of said card pocket, said patch being located on the outside of said one pane] and being attached to said one panel along the entire periphery of v said patch, and said'card pocket mouth being defined by a slit in said one panel located within the area of said one panel surrounded by said periphery of said patch.

2. A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said two panels being made of a generally opaque material and said patch being made of a transparent material.

3. A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said patch including a window opening permitting direct access to that portion, whichisv registered with said window opening, of the card received in said card pocket.

4. A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said patch being made of a transparent material, and a card received in said card pocket, said card having an address area and a postage area, said patch in the portion thereof overlying said postage area of said card having a window opening permitting direct access to at least a part of said postage area of said card. 5.A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said patch being made of a transparent material and being generally rectangular in shape, means providing a visible vertical line extending across said patch and dividing it into right-hand and left-hand portions, one of said portions of said patch including a window opening permitting direct access to that portion, which is registered with said window opening, of the card received in said card pocket.

6. A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said two panels being made of a woven fabric.

7. In a bag for carrying mail or the like and including at least one panel of flexible sheet material, the improvement comprising a rectangular patch of transparent material having four substantially straight edges and attached to the outside of said panel along at least a portion of the periphery of said patch to form a pocket between said panel and said patch for receiving a card, said patch being divided into a first rectangular portion and a second rectangular portion by a line extending across said patch generally parallel to one of its edges, said patch being continuous throughout said first portion and in said second portion including a window opening permitting direct access to that portion, which is registered with said window opening, of the card received in said pocket, said window opening having a periphery spaced along its entire length from the periphery of said second portion so as to be entirely surrounded by the material of said patch, said patch being attached to said panel along its entire periphery and said periphery of said patch including a substantially straight top edge, and a slit in said panel providing a mouth for said pocket, said slit being located immediately below and extending generally parallel to said top edge of said patch. 

1. A bag for carrying mail or the like comprising two overlying panels of similar size and shape each having a periphery including a top edge, means joining said two panels to one another along their peripheries except for along said top edges to form a main pocket between said two panels having a mouth adjacent said top edges of said panels, a slide fastener connected to said panels along said top edges thereof for opening and closing said main pocket mouth, and a patch attached to one of said panels and defining between it and said one panel a card pocket for receiving a card, said card pocket having a mouth communicating with said main pocket which card pocket mouth extends generally parallel to said top edge of said one panel and which card pocket mouth is spaced downwardly from said top edge of said one panel, said card pocket extending downwardly from said card pocket mouth whereby when a given size card is placed in said card pocket closing of said main mouth by said slide fastener entraps said card in said card pocket and prevents it from moving out of said card pocket, said patch being located on the outside of said one panel and being attached to said one panel along the entire periphery of said patch, and said card pocket mouth being defined by a slit in said one panel located within the area of said one panel surrounded by said periphery of said patch.
 2. A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said two panels being made of a generally opaque material and said patch being made of a transparent material.
 3. A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said patch including a window opening permitting direct access to that portion, which is registered with said window opening, of the card received in said card pocket.
 4. A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said patch being made of a transparent material, and a card received in said card pocket, said card having an address area and a postage area, said patch in the portion thereof overlying said postage area of said card having a window opening permitting direct access to at least a part of said postage area of said card.
 5. A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said patch being made of a transparent material and being generally rectangular in shape, means providing a visible vertical line extending across said patch and dividing it into right-hand and left-hand portions, one of said portions of saiD patch including a window opening permitting direct access to that portion, which is registered with said window opening, of the card received in said card pocket.
 6. A bag as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said two panels being made of a woven fabric.
 7. In a bag for carrying mail or the like and including at least one panel of flexible sheet material, the improvement comprising a rectangular patch of transparent material having four substantially straight edges and attached to the outside of said panel along at least a portion of the periphery of said patch to form a pocket between said panel and said patch for receiving a card, said patch being divided into a first rectangular portion and a second rectangular portion by a line extending across said patch generally parallel to one of its edges, said patch being continuous throughout said first portion and in said second portion including a window opening permitting direct access to that portion, which is registered with said window opening, of the card received in said pocket, said window opening having a periphery spaced along its entire length from the periphery of said second portion so as to be entirely surrounded by the material of said patch, said patch being attached to said panel along its entire periphery and said periphery of said patch including a substantially straight top edge, and a slit in said panel providing a mouth for said pocket, said slit being located immediately below and extending generally parallel to said top edge of said patch. 